Positioning and retaining member



May 17, 1960 F. A. KOHLHAAS POSITIONING AND RETAINING MEMBER Filed Oct. '6, 1958 Imam/ran RANK A. KoflL/Ms! Fl G.l

Frank 'A. Kohlhaas, Minneapolis, Minn;

PQSITIONING AND ivrnivrnnn;

[Crown Zellerbach' Corporation, San Francisco, Calif., a corporation ofNevada .Allplicafion October (6,, 1958, Serial No. 765,488 {j i 2 Claims. '(Cl.206-' i6) The invention pertains broadly to improvements in an interior positioning and retaining device for an .art-tcle device constructed .of solid fibre, corrugated fibreboard or any other suitable bendable material. :In particularthe, invention pertains to a -retaining assembly that .may

.a'ssignor '10 2,936,880 Patented May 17, 1960 ings illustrate an embodiment of the invention and form I a part of the specification. Like numerals andsymbols V therein appearing refer to like parts wherever they oc- 1 cur.

carrying container having a topclosure, said retaining be inserted over and in engagement withan article-such .as .a water heater in .a container, positioning and retaining the article in ;a fixed spaced relation to the side walls and the top closure tof the container.

The positioning and spacing devices comm nly. used. to fixedly position the upper portionsgof a water heater in a container engage the protruding pipe :nipples extending above the outer shel l'of the heater. proven to be a highly satisfactory method, however, :in some models of water heaters, in particularelectric water .heaters, the pipe .nipples are not conveniently locatedto permit this procedure. It is then necessary to retain the heater by means encirclingor engaging the perimeter of a the outer shell of the heater. Such a procedure is con- I templated in the present invention.

Since the shell of the heater is easily deformable and subject to damage and defacing it is necessary that a retaining means engaging said sheil be accurately and fixedly positioned in the containerftb engage the heater at only the desired points of contact. and further, this ;retaining,means.,mus.t affiordanonta'cting surface in. flat- 1 zwise relation touthe shell ofthe; heater rather than .an

in retainand rigid top projections such as pipe nipples. In is there-,

fore, an object ofthisinvention to provide an: internal positioning and retaining means to retain an article in v i s Another embodiment of the reinforcing member is ila fixed spaced relation within a container. I

An important object is to provide in a container an internal assembly that may be. positioned over and in engagement with an article to rendersaid article in a This has In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a plan' view Fig. .2 is a plan View illustrating the reinforcing member with marginal flaps of the internal retaining and pop sitioning assembly. Fig. .2A illustrates the alternative simplified form without the additional reinforcement of the marginal flaps;

I Fig. 3 ,is :a perspective view of the I member :of the internal retaining and positioning assembly' Fig. 4 is .a cross sectional view through line 44 :of

Fig. 3, with the reinforcing member of Fig. 2 included;

. Fig.5 is across sectional view through line 5-5 .of Fig.3 withathe reinforcing member ofFig. 2 included; Figxdis a cross sectional view .of acontainer showing athe internal positioning .and retaining assembly and a bottom positioning pad retaining a water heater in nixed positiom- V I Fig. is a cross sectional view of acontainer cut-away to 'showraretaining member without reinforcing mem-' ber adapted to hold a relatively small article in fixed rela-tionto the sides and top closure of the container.

The blanlc for the retaining member, illustrated in Fig.

1, comprises a central panel 20 defined by flap scores 21. The outer marginal flaps 22 are hingedlyconnected to the central panel 20 by flap scores 21. A partially disconnected panel portion 23 istfoldably connected to at I in. a container 38.;

least? two marginal flaps 22- at terminal scores '24 by means of "the extensions 25 of the panel portion. Extension scores 26 in combination with scores 24 define .a vertical -spacingpanel 27 of the extensions.

'The'internal upturned flanges 28 are hingedly con-a nected' to the central panel 20 by scores 29 defining; an'

' opening 30, illustrated in Figs '3 and 4, adapted to receive a water heater37 shown in Fig. 6 or otherarticle The blank for the reinforcing member, illustrated in Fig. 2, comprises a panel 31 defined, by flap scores 32 through 180 to a contacting flatwise relation to the fixed spaced relation to the side walls and tc'n'n'closure of a container.

7 Another. important object is. to provide a retaining member in 'a'container adapted to engage a transverse section of an article" and having a foldably connectedportion adapted to overlie the article, the retaining mem ber being suspended therefrom.

Another object is to provide a retaining member having marginal flaps with free end edges in abutment with the inner face of the top closure of the container and plete understanding of the construction of the positioning and retaining member. The accompanying drawpanel 31. The combined reinforcing marginal flaps 33 in'the folded position are coextensive to the central panel 31.?

scoreszl and internal flanges scores 29.

In order to erect the positioning'and retaining assembly asillustrated in Fig. 3 the marginal flaps 22 are j folded upwardly about flap scores 21 to a right angular relation to central panel 20. Simultaneously the vertical spacing panels 27 are folded upwardly about terminal scores 24 and the panel portion 23, foldably connected at. extension scores 26, thereby attains a spaced relation to the central panel 20. g

'The reinforcing member shown in Fig. 2- may then be inserted between the central panel 20 and. thepanel' portion 23 and positioned in juxtaposed coincidingrelatron to the central panel, theinterna-l marginal edge 34 illustrating the retaining memher of, the internal retaining and positioning assembly;

erected retaining substantially coinciding with the internal flange scores 29 aseesso cross sectional view of the reinforcing member through i lines '5 of Fig. 3.

The positioning and retaining assembly is positioned over a water heater or other article in a container as illustrated in Fig. 6. The internal flanges 28 areauto- .matically folded upwardly by the article being packaged as the assembly is placed in position, the external facing of the flanges 28 abutting the internal marginal edges '64 of the reinforcing member and the internal facing :thereof in flatwise contacting relation to a perimeter of V tion to the 'top closure of the container..

An embodiment of the invention illustrated in sectional view, Fig. 7, is adapted to the retentionuwithin a container of relatively smaller, lighter articles, as for example table radios. In this embodiment -the marginal flaps 22 are of relatively greater length than the spaced relation of the panel portion 23 to the central panel 20 of the retaining member. The abutment of the free end edges of the marginal flaps 22 against the inner face of the container top closure provides a definite spaced re-,

lation between the article being packaged and the container top closure.

It is to be'understood that the embodiments herein described are illustrative and not restrictive, and it is also to be understood that the invention may be susceptible of embodiment in other modified forms, and that all such modifications which are similar and equivalent hereto come equally within the scope of the claims next appearmg. e

What I claim is:

1. In a container, having opposed pairs of upstanding side walls and top and bottom closure panels, for packaging a water heater or other fragile article; an interior positioning and retaining assembly comprising a retaining member and a reinforcing member encircling and retaining the upper portion of the packaged article in a fixed spaced relation to the side walls ofthe container, the two members of the assembly coactive in an interleaved' relation, the retaining member having, a central panel coextensive to a transverse section of the container and upturned outer marginal flaps, the free end edges of said marginal-flaps in abutting relationship to the interior face of the container top closure, in the central panel of the assembly retaining member, a partially disconnected panel portion hingedly connected. to at least two marginal flaps, the central panel of the retaining member. having internal upturned flanges defining at 'leastinpart an opening, said flanges being in essentially right angular relation to the central panel of the member and in flatwise contacting relationship with thesidewalls of the article packaged, the reinforcing assembly member interleaved'between the central panel of-the retaining member and the partially disconnected panel portion thereof, said assembly reinforcing member coextensive to the central panel of the retaining H member and having an internal margin defining a void, said internal margin in abutting relation to the upturned internal flanges of the retaining member; whereby, the positioning and retaining assembly will overlie and engage a packaged article in fixed spaced relation to the side. walls and-top closure of the container. 7

2. The interior assembly setforth and claimed in claim 1, wherein the reinforcing member is further reinforced by means of flaps hingedly connected to the outer margins of the :panel ofthe reinforcing member, said reinforcing flaps being folded downwarlly and inwardly to a flatwise contacting relation and coextensive with the panel of the reinforcing member.

Referencescited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

